Ukraine shoots down transport plane carrying ‘150 Russian paratroopers’ trying to storm Kyiv as Putin launches full-scale assault on capital
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday night warned his people in an address to the nation that the capital, Kyiv, would be attacked overnight
For two nights in a row Russia has bombarded Kyiv, but Moscow is expected to begin what it hopes to be a final push in the early hours of Saturday
Zelensky, speaking from a secret location in the capital, said: ‘Russia will try to break our resistance with all its might. Tonight the enemy will begin storming us’
He urged Ukrainians to resist, adding that Chernihiv, Symy, Kharkiv, Donbass, and the south could all come under attack
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Russian forces are moving towards Kyiv from multiple directions, in an attempt to encircle the city
Vitali Klitschko, the former world champion heavyweight boxer who is now mayor of Kyiv, said the city faces a ‘difficult night’
Ukraine’s armed forces said on Friday night that they had shot down south of Kyiv a Russian IL-76 military transport plane carrying Russian paratroopers
Hours later they claimed to have downed in Donbas a helicopter and Su-25 ground attack jet, using surface-to-air missiles
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Russia said it is not willing to negotiate with Ukraine’s government until military operation is over
Came after Zelensky called for a sit-down with Putin to end the fighting
Putin said he would be willing to send a team of negotiators to meet Zelensky – in Belarus, which is helping with the invasion
Russian president then called on Ukrainian military to overthrow the ‘regime’ in Kyiv
China’s President Xi spoke to Putin by phone, called for diplomatic solution to the fighting
Ukraine says Russia has bombed 33 civilian sites in Kyiv in the last 24 hours
Two children have been reported killed in Kyiv bombing overnight
Ukraine has banned men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country to conscript them into armed forces
Zelensky has allowed anyone of any age to join the armed forces, and called on Europeans from other countries to come and join the fight
Russia is deploying paratroopers to Chernobyl after capturing it on Thursday, Moscow said
Ukraine reported ‘anomalous’ radiation levels at the plant amid fears nuclear storage was breached in fighting, but Moscow said readings are normal
Russia claims to have destroyed 118 Ukrainian military sites in 30 hours of fighting
PM Boris Johnson pledged more support is coming to Ukraine in the coming days
Johnson shared a phone call with Zelensky on Friday morning
